Editing Selenographic coordinate system (section)

{{Short description|Coordinate system used on the Moon}}
[[Image:Moon-map.png|thumb|400px|Near side of the moon]]
[[File:Astronomy for the use of schools and academies (1882) (14577550018).jpg|thumb|Chart of lunar maria with lines of longitude and latitude.]]
[[File:Copernican_System_farside_plate_11B_Wilhelms1987.jpg|thumb|Chart of the far side of the moon with lines of longitude and latitude.]]
The '''selenographic coordinate system''' is used to refer to locations on the surface of [[Earth]]'s [[moon]]. Any position on the lunar surface can be referenced by specifying two numerical values, which are comparable to the [[latitude]] and [[longitude]] of Earth. The longitude gives the position east or west of the Moon's prime meridian, which is the line  passing from the [[lunar north pole]] through the point on the lunar surface directly facing Earth to the [[lunar south pole]].  (See also [[prime meridian|Earth's prime meridian]].)  This can be thought of as the midpoint of the visible Moon as seen from the Earth. The latitude gives the position north or south of the lunar [[equator]]. Both of these coordinates are given in [[degree (angle)|degrees]].

Astronomers defined the fundamental location in the selenographic coordinate system by the small, bowl-shaped satellite crater '[[Mösting (crater)|Mösting&nbsp;A]]'{{citation needed|reason=Probably wrong. See: https://the-moon.wikispaces.com/Selenographic+Coordinates|date=September 2015}}. The coordinates of this crater are defined as:

:{| border="0"
|''Latitude:''
|3°&nbsp;12'&nbsp;43.2" South
|-
|''Longitude:''
|5°&nbsp;12'&nbsp;39.6" West
|}

Later, the coordinate system has become more precisely defined due to the [[Lunar Laser Ranging Experiment]].

Anything past 90°E or 90°W would not be seen from Earth, except for [[libration]], which makes [[Moon#Two sides of the Moon|59% of the Moon visible]].